Four Indo-Pacific navies are taking part.
The US Navy amphibious ready group (ARG) assembled around amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) has completed its first Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise. For the Bataan ARG, SWATT provided an important transition from single ship operations to multi-ship, aircraft, an
The New Zealand government has opened tenders for the construction of a new home for the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. The government expects that the new facility for the P-8A fleet at RNZAF Base Ohakea would be completed in three years. “The government’s investment in
F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp used the GAU-22 cannon against a simulated target and executed the first shipboard hot reload of ordnance in the Indo-Pacific region while underway in the Solomon Sea. The aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor S
The US state department has approved the sale of twelve MH-60R multi-mission helicopters to the Republic of Korea. The country earlier seemed poised to acquire 12 Leonardo AW159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters but South Korea’s defense procurement agency (DAPA) announced earlier this year it woul
The Mexican Navy Yard ASTIMAR 1 in Tampico has launched the final of eight Oaxaca-class patrol ships to be built for the Armada de México. Launched on July 20, the vessel was named Tabasco, with hull number P-168. The Mexican Navy noted that in comparison with its predecessors, Tabasco features impr
US Navy’s Japan-based amphibious ships met up with their Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) counterparts for training off Australia. US Navy transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) trained with Hyūga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH 18
The US Military Sealift Command’s expeditionary fast transport vessel USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1) headed out to sea recently to test a range unmanned systems during a two-day underway. One of the less prominent systems that was tested was the V-BAT vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial v
The US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Modules (MM) program is cleared to begin developmental testing following a successful structural test firing of the Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM) on an Independence-variant LCS. Developmental testing is set to start in August after the test
The US Navy has ended its search and rescue efforts for a sailor believed to have gone overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the morning hours of July 17. The sailor, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, is still listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN). The ca
A Venezuelan SU-30 Flanker fighter jet came dangerously close to a US Navy EP-3 Aries II aircraft in international airspace on July 19, the navy said. “After reviewing video documentation, we have determined the Russian-made fighter aggressively shadowed the EP-3 at an unsafe distance in internation
The US State Department has cleared Greece to buy MH-60R multi-mission helicopters with support equipment under a deal estimated to be worth $600 million. The US approval comes less than six months after the Greek government announced its intention to buy the MH-60R. The Hellenic Navy is expected to
The UK’s first Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A) maritime patrol aircraft has completed its first flight, marking another milestone ahead of delivery in early 2020. Following this first test flight, the aircraft will transfer from Boeing Commercial Airplanes to Boeing Defense, Space and Security to be fitted
MQ-8C Fire Scout, the US Navy’s new unmanned helicopter, has reached initial operational capability (IOC) after some six years of flight trials. The navy declared IOC on June 28, after the MQ-8C clocked in over 1,500 flight hours with more than 700 sorties. The sea-based, vertical lift unmanned syst
